Terrain Minerals Ltd (ASX:TMX, OTC:TMXAF, FRA:T4Y) has kicked off diamond drilling at its Smokebush Gold & Silver Project in Western Australia, advancing work at the Lightning Prospect as the company moves towards a maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate targeted for mid-2026.
The company said a diamond rig has mobilised to site at Lightning, where four diamond holes are planned to provide critical density measurements and detailed geological data to support future resource estimation and modelling.
The diamond program will comprise about 660 metres of drilling, including 340 metres of reverse circulation (RC) pre-collars and 320 metres of diamond core. All drill pads and pre-collars have already been completed, using access established during the existing RC campaign.
Diamond Rig & support vehicles on its way to terrain 100% owned Lightning prospect. The rig and crew are expected to arrive on site later today.
Diamond drilling to support maiden JORC estimate
Terrain said the diamond core will be used for density determinations and detailed logging, both essential inputs for a compliant JORC calculation. The work is designed to complement ongoing RC drilling at Lightning, which continues to test mineralisation boundaries and build confidence in geological continuity.
RC drilling at Lightning is nearing completion, with 21 holes for roughly 4,500 metres scheduled to wrap up early next week. The company noted that the combination of RC and diamond drilling is intended to accelerate the transition from discovery-stage exploration to formal resource definition.
Lightning - Indicative drill traces of the current reverse circulation drilling program (see ASX release 27 November 2025) superimposed over the open-file Western Australian government aeromagnetic data for the prospect area. Early modelling suggests a north-trending shear zone acts as a gold fluid pathway with east-west high magnetic lithological units are acting as traps for thicker, high-grade mineralisation.
Adding to the project’s momentum, Terrain has also secured the Mining Lease over the Lightning tenement, strengthening tenure as it advances towards its first resource estimate.
New M59/0796 tenement conversion area seen in yellow.
RC drilling to pivot to Wildflower targets
Once RC drilling at Lightning is completed, the rig will mobilise to the nearby Wildflower Prospect, where a 13-hole, 2,300-metre RC program is planned across three priority induced polarisation (IP) targets.
The Wildflower targets are defined by gold-in-soil anomalies and IP responses extending over more than 800 metres, with the company highlighting strong geological and structural similarities to the Lightning discovery. Both prospects are interpreted to occupy comparable structural positions around the same granite intrusion, which Terrain believes represents a proven control on gold mineralisation.
Drilling at Wildflower is expected to commence in mid-February, with assay results anticipated in April 2026.
Wildflower - Chargeability models overlain on the open-file Total Magnetic Intensity first vertical derivative (TMI 1VD) aeromagnetic image. Interpreted structural breaks, including faults, are marked in orange. The chargeability anomaly observed on 834000N, 838000N and 842000N is outlined by a dashed red ellipse. This interpreted chargeability anomaly, which appears centred on the T16 target, extends for more than 800 metres and remains open to the northeast and southwest (extending into Terrain Mineral’s 100% owned granted tenement E 59/2345).
Strategic location in Yalgoo Mineral Field
The Smokebush Project is located around 350 kilometres north of Perth in the Yalgoo Mineral Field, about 85 kilometres east-north-east of Perenjori and 65 kilometres west of Payne’s Find. Access is via the unsealed Perenjori–Warriedar Road, supported by a network of historical exploration grid lines and station tracks.
Terrain said the project’s location places it within a well-established mining district, close to several operating and past-producing gold operations, which underpins its confidence in the broader prospectivity of the area.
Location of Terrain Minerals 100% owned Smokebush Gold Prospect.
Pipeline beyond Lightning and Wildflower
While the current focus remains on advancing Lightning toward a maiden resource and testing new discovery potential at Wildflower, Terrain continues to progress a broader portfolio of exploration assets across Western Australia and Queensland.
These include the gallium-focused Larin’s Lane Prospect within the Smokebush Project, where metallurgical studies are under way, as well as gold, copper, rare earths and lithium projects at earlier stages of exploration.
The company said it continues to review additional opportunities across gold, copper, industrial minerals and battery and critical metals, with Western Australia and Queensland as its near-term focus.
